Don't Step Away From That Computer!

Writers love to write. But we do everything we can to avoid writing. Why? Because writing is actually difficult. And emotionally draining. And sometimes scary.

The real secret to writing is to keep doing it. All the time. Whether we feel inspired, motivated, or don’t think we have anything worth saying. Just write.

What happens when you step away for a bit? Either because life gets complicated—which does happen. Or we just get lazy. How do we get back at it?

The farther away you get from writing, the harder it is to get back into it. I know this from lots of personal experience. The best advice is this: don’t step away for too long. Build time into your life to always write something. Every day if you can; at least every week.

Easier said than done, sure. But for writers, there is always something to write. If it’s not your story or memoir or screenplay, then it’s a description of the sunset or the harvest moon or your cat throwing up.

There is always something to write about. When you have stepped away, how do you get back? For me, reading a writing magazine or my favorite writing book can get me re-inspired. Reading a writing blog or my favorite group postings on Facebook (MWA!). Going to a writing event and hanging with other writers can lift me up too. The best thing you can do to avoid getting too far away from writing, is to build in deadlines. A writing group is a perfect way to do that. Every meeting; whether you meet weekly, every two weeks, monthly, whatever; they are expecting something from you. If you don’t have a writing group, plan to enter a contest. Put the submission date on your calendar—you have to have something written and ready to go by that date. If nothing else, set up a writing friend to contact you on a certain date and check in on your progress. The point is – outside accountability! We might be okay letting ourselves down but not someone else.

However, ultimately it comes down to just writing. Dang that advice is hard! As I prepare to teach a Nanowrimo class (National Novel Writing Month), I am collecting wisdom on how to push yourself and write a lot. This will be a fun class to see how much students will write, but it’s also an exercise to get me going too! Whether I hit 50,000 words in November or not, I know I will write more and get reenergized. Hopefully I will keep it up no matter what life throws at me.

If you know me, you have my permission to poke me in a few months and see how I’m doing.